18 year old Jesse Butler in Stillwater, Oklahoma, was charged with 11 felonies, the most prominent being rape and strangulation. Butler had attacked two victims, one of them facing such severe strangulation that afterwards  she was rushed into emergency surgery to repair her  esophagus and was left in a wheelchair. After their recovery, these two young women faced Butler in front of a judge, only for him to get away with nothing more than community service— the same consequence that a shoplifter would most likely be given.

In court, Butler was originally charged as an adult, facing almost 80 years for his crimes as he was 18 during his sentencing. Many might raise questions about how it is possible for a person to go from being sentenced 78 years to zero. Well, according to the justice system, if you are a “youthful offender” when committing a heinous crime, you won’t have to face the consequences. Only the young victims have to live with the memory of what Butler did to them and know that he is still out there and able to hurt someone else. So, how is it fair? Short answer: it’s not.

Not only is this whole situation an outrage to the victims and their families, but also what message does it send to the young men and women today that someone at any age could get away with something like this? Truthfully, it’s sickening that our justice system did not give Butler a punishment worse than a slap-on-the wrist. This further pushes the repetitive injustice that sexual assault victims should not come forward because, even if they do, they will not be listened to. This case is only confirming that idea. Not only that, it encourages the behavior. The only way for change to truly happen is if the law applies to everyone: young and old, men and women.